I know that sharing is a good thing, however, there is a lady who loves to bake and wants my recipe. Don't get me wrong, I was not the originator of the recipe but I don't want everyone knowing my "business". Is this wrong? What's your opinion?

I get irked when I am asked for one when I try something new and then at the next family/friend get together someone brings my recipe and altered it and I'm asked "what did you change this isnt' right".

When anyone asks for my bakery recipes that I use for my business I smile and say "I thank you for the compliment of wanting to duplicate them for your own use but please know that these are not given to anyone other wise I'd be out of business. You can come over and go through my books and copy down recipes from my display books but as for my own personal ones, I just don't give those out."

I horde recipes lol.... I only share certain ones. Certain recipes I have are handed down from my grand mother who got them from my great grand mother so they are dear to me and I couldn't possibly ever share them not even with my best friend. These are the recipes I'll pass down to my daughter when she's older...

Other recipes which are ones I collected here there and everywhere on the net, from friends, etc. I'll share these unless it's one of my friends handed down from generations

I make several sure-fire desserts that my friends love. Recently, a new friend was added to the main group, and they love cooking. He asked me for some of my recipes, and I gave him one. Well, lo and behold, the next time we had a get-together, they brought MY RECIPE!!!! Fortunately, they mucked it up, so folks knew it wasn't really mine, but still... I can understand folks wanting your recipe to take to other friends or family... but to ask for it and then bring it to the very group YOU'VE always brought it for??? Not very socially acceptable! (and they were told this, fortunately. We've had a lot of fun with their experiments to find their own stash of 'sure fire' donations to pot lucks, though, and they're enjoying not hearing 'Well, Doni does it this way, so I'm sure that's where you went wrong...')

I try to share as best as I can. If it is someone that I might be competing with (locally) nope, don't share but if someone on here from another area asked for a recipe of mine, glad to share. I won't find it at a function I'm going to so why not!! JMO

If they ask for my oatmeal cookie recipe, I shrug and say, "It's on the side of the box."

BUt.....! My chocolate chip recipe that I spent months working on myself and perfecting until I found a cookie that I was willing to put my name on? It's going to my grave! I MIGHT leave it in my will to my kids, but that depends on whether they stick me in Shady Pines or not!

I keep most of my recipes to myself. Some are family recipes and I don't want to share them. Any other recipes I tell them that they are recipes that keep me in business so I don't share them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by indydebi

If they ask for my oatmeal cookie recipe, I shrug and say, "It's on the side of the box."

BUt.....! My chocolate chip recipe that I spent months working on myself and perfecting until I found a cookie that I was willing to put my name on? It's going to my grave! I MIGHT leave it in my will to my kids, but that depends on whether they stick me in Shady Pines or not!

Debi, tell me where you want to go when your older and where you want to be buried and I'll do it for your recipe!

I won't share any of my recipes to anyone. My dad handed them down to me before he died last year and I will horde them from anyone, except for when my son gets older he can have them. My aunt keeps begging me for his "christmas pie" and "bumpy cake" recipes.. Nope NEVER gonna get em! I don't mind sharing here though for some reason.

I am very protective of my recipes and my style of cooking. Sometimes when you do give someone one of your recipes they go home and try it then complain because it does not come out the same! I have been accused of leaving something out of the recipe!! You cannot please everyone!

I am very protective of my recipes and my style of cooking. Sometimes when you do give someone one of your recipes they go home and try it then complain because it does not come out the same! I have been accused of leaving something out of the recipe!! You cannot please everyone!

I must say that being part of CC has softened me a little (shhhh! don't tell anybody! they all think I"m a harda$$!). I thought my icing recipe would go to my grave with me, too, but here it is, posted on CC to share with (how many members.....? 95,000??)

You guys are a bad influence on me! Being so nice and caring and sharing 'n all!

I'm happy to share recipes in this forum. I appreciate all the recipes people have shared here at CC and am more than willing to help out a fellow cake decorator that I don't personally know. I also happily share the recipes of foods I bring to parties. However, I would certainly not share the recipes of things I sell, such as cakes and cookies with people I personally know. If they can make it themselves, why would they buy them from me?

There was an episode of "Friends" about this once. Everybody loved Phoebe's grandmother's chocolate chip cookie recipe but she died without leaving anyone the recipe. So Monica tried to recreate it making batches and batches of cookies. As it turned out, they all realized it was the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips. Pheobe's grandmother had always pronounced "Nestle Tollhouse" with a french accent when describing her cookies so no one was the wiser.

There was an episode of "Friends" about this once. Everybody loved Phoebe's grandmother's chocolate chip cookie recipe but she died without leaving anyone the recipe. So Monica tried to recreate it making batches and batches of cookies. As it turned out, they all realized it was the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips. Pheobe's grandmother had always pronounced "Nestle Tollhouse" with a french accent when describing her cookies so no one was the wiser.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE RECIPES ON BOXES, BAGS AND CANS WHEN BUYING INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR CAKES.REMEMBER SUGAR, SALT, AND VANILLA ARE YOUR FLAVOR ENHANCERS. EVEN IF A CAKE RECIPE DOES NOT HAVE VANILLA-ADD A TEASPOON TO ENHANCE THE OTHER EXTRACTS AND SPICES.HAPPY BAKING AND DECORATING,CHEF ANGIE

I've had that horrible experience, as have many others, of sharing a recipe with someone, and at the next function...you guessed it - YOUR RECIPE!!! Then everyone is saying, but I thought that was YOUR RECIPE (you gave it to so and so, but not me), and I smile on the outside and cringe on the inside - like now I'm going to share with everyone - NOPE, not anymore!!!

I'm polite about it - I usually tell other family, friends, associates, whoever that these are either family recipes that stay in the family to be handed down or are my own creations, which I will not share for the obvious purpose of using these in my business to make money. If I got it out of a book, then I'll share, but not any secrets about the tweaking I've done to make it my own.

It took my MIL 10 years before I got my hands on the family recipes - guess she figured I might be staying by then - and I have - so my children will get these.

My mother's family was a taste and bake family from way back - they never wrote anything down, so I do the best I can with what I've got to work with, but nothing ever tastes as good as when mom makes it. I've tried to get her to write things down for years - won't happen.

And doesn't it make you feel so good when your family asks you to make something that is your recipe for them - my son loves my potato soup, and it is about that time of year when he'll be asking for it soon. In fact, my daughter's friend made some potato soup and brought to work - my daughter promptly told her "this isn't my mom's soup!" All I could do was smile - but she doesn't get the recipe yet either

Debi, tell me where you want to go when your older and where you want to be buried and I'll do it for your recipe!

leily, boy, if that isn't the ultimate in brown nosing I don't know what is!!! LOL

I like sharing food recipes for pot lucks and family dinners and such, but when it's a cake for a special function or a customer and someone asks for the recipe I kindly tell them I don't give out my cake recipes. Now why would I give a potential customer my recipes? I feel no obligation to be that generous, let alone foolish.